--- Kamiko --- (Morning Day 3)
After getting back from the snow bubble and crying a bit, the group decided to just break for the night. It was already late when Kamiko returned and there was no real point in trying to get moving again. So the group settled down for the night in short order, ate a bunch of leftovers and then went to sleep.
The next morning when they set off found Kamiko holding Hunter's arm tightly against her chest. Kamiko had no desire to be separated again, and when she subtly tried to bring up the idea of using rope g shut it down… so holding onto Hunter was Kamiko's solution to this. It did an it was very awkward to move at speed.
Even limiting themselves to Bower's maximum ant they were covering a good deal of distance.
It required Kamiko to bounce around a bunch because Hunter wasn't slithering along the ground, she was bouncing between trees and constantly launching herself. It ant Kamiko wasn't so much running as she was jumping after Hunter.
At the beginning it was a lot more like Hunter was pulling Kamiko along and the added weight didn't make enough of a difference for Hunter to complain but Kamiko didn't want to just be dead weight. Eventually she managed to get into a bouncy rhythm and follow along… for the most part. Hunter was still very much directing them.
This continued until they took a break to rehydrate and g said, "You two have been getting close I see. Makes feel a bit lonely…"
Kamiko glanced at Hunter and saw the lamia was planning to just ignore g's accusation. Kamiko glanced between the two of them a few tis before thinking it over and deciding on what seed to be the safest course of action. "I have found that I am much more scared of being alone in a bubble again then I am of any other issues. It was… terrifying.
Maybe if it wasn't such a creepy bubble I would've been fine but…
"But I could hardly see. The snow fell down so thick at the start that if I held my hand out far enough it disappeared into the hail. The only reason I was able to pull myself together is because I've trained enough in combat that I can push all my other issues away. It makes sense, I an if you're in combat you have a pretty imdiate issue to deal with after all.
So… yeah it was scary, I didn't know how to leave and I've decided to not deal with that,"
"Hmmm… well I suppose that's a cute enough answer. I could let you hold onto if your so scared," said g with a teasing grin.
Kamiko wasted literally no ti in taking her up on her offer. Kamiko practically teleported to g's side and hugged her tightly. g's eyes widened in surprise, not having expected Kamiko to take her up on the offer at all. "Why?"
"I got permission! Plus Hunter's eye kept twitching while I was holding her and it was clear I was making her uncomfortable… but if you're willing to offer instead…" answered Kamiko.
g let out a long sigh. "You know what? You're lucky your adorable. Fine, whatever I'll let you hug …"
Things were quiet after that throughout the rest of the third day. Kamiko remained firmly affixed to g, Hutner smiled slightly as g couldn't bother her with Kamiko attached like a barnacle and this ant she didn't have to deal with it. It wasn't as if Hunter was completely unsympathetic but this really was the best of both worlds for her.
Kamiko got to calm down, and she wasn't bothering her about it.
Bower just kept quiet while all this was happening. Things went smoothly enough… so it was probably best to just let it continue.
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--- Kamiko --- (Morning Day 4)
g sighed as Kamiko attached herself once again. "Ok, look I get that I agreed to this but it's awkward moving around with you like that so I'm going to…" g was originally going to retract her offer but Kamiko gazed up at her with slightly teary puppy dog eyes while gripping tighter to her torso and g felt sothing in her heart crack slightly. "… need you to change positions.
Would riding on my shoulders be acceptable?"
Hunter grinned at this in the background but looked away quickly lest g notice her smile. Kamiko of course nodded rapidly at the offer and hopped up onto g's shoulder before the greed demon could protest. g sighed again, "How do you even manage to act like that? You act more like a little sister then my Lil Sis,"
"Oh… um… well… it's because I have a bunch of older sisters and one younger system but the younger sister bullied my for years and I ended up with no confidence. So… despite technically being an older sister I never got into any of the habits and a lot of people think I'm the youngest in the family…" answered Kamiko with a bit of hesitation.
"Hmm… whatever. I guess I can carry you around like that. Just don't complain to if you hit your head, I won't be thinking about things too much so that's all up to you!" insisted g. Kamiko just nodded and folded herself forward to rest on g's head. g sighed again as she accepted that this is just how things are going to go now…
After g accepted her new fate as Kamiko's minder they continued on and made it to the first new bubble since Kamiko went missing., Bower was very clear in putting out where it was, letting them stop before the bubble claid them. "So, we going in?" asked Bower after marking out the rough line between 'bubble space' and not.
"I… I don't mind as long as I stay with soone…" said Kamiko from g's shoulders.
"You shouldn't have been separated the first ti. It's only because the bubble just barely caught you. Sitting on g like that should an it's fine. I've never heard of people getting separated while holding hands…" explained Bower.
g shrugged, "Whatever is faster,"
"I am with g. Whatever you recomnd as faster," agreed Kamiko.
Bower nodded, "Well it's probably worth going inside then,"
And with that they marched in. The bubble turned out to be a crystal forest bio with lovely glimring trees and… normal grass. That ant they didn't need to worry about cutting themselves on the crystals too much. A few crystal golems needed to be destroyed but with the four of them it was easy and they made good progress for the rest of the day.
--- Kamiko --- (Morning Day 7)
g seed to be frowning pretty hard at the compass in her hands. Kamiko carefully walked over and stood to the side, waiting to be noticed… but a few minutes of nothing had Kamiko deciding to just ask. "Hey g? What's wrong?"
"There's sothing up with the compass… or more accurately I think there's sothing up with the woods. I trust the compass to steer us correctly… and it's not pointing the sa way it was last night," explained g.
"Um… ok… but couldn't that an the piece is moving? Like… soone has it or sothing?" asked Kamiko.
g nodded along, "Yes that's what I thought originally. This isn't the first ti I noticed sothing strange with the compass. It was mostly when we left bubbles though so I didn't think too much of it… but I've kept an eye out and this ti? The compass has done a complete one eighty… or so it seems. Look around us what do you see?"
Kamiko glanced awkwardly around, "Um… trees? A lot of mist?"
g sighed, "Suppose I shouldn't be expecting you to notice. What concerns is that!" g pointed over to a muddy patch with a footprint on it near the trees. Kamiko glanced down at g's feet and then back again and… couldn't really work anything out while g had her feet firmly on the ground.
"I still don't get it," announced Kamiko.
"That footprint is us coming in for a break. I rember it because I had to be a bit careful not to slip… but the compass is pointing us back in that direction. I rember checking to see we were on the right path before, but now? If we'd just headed off the way we thought we were going we would've been sent away…" explained g.
"So… so what does that an?" asked Kamiko.
"I think the forest is playing tricks on us. I don't know of the clearing moved or our destination did… but it ans I'm going to be watching this compass like a hawk from now on," said g firmly.
"Oh… um… maybe we should ask Bower?" offered Kamiko.
g didn't seem pleased with the thought but it did look like she was considering it.
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